Fire fighting apparatus

ABSTRACT

An adaptor for a fire engine of the type having an upper platform on which is mounted a foam spraying nozzle in the form of a barrel mounted for rotation to any angular position about one end. The adaptor comprises a hollow pipe having an inlet opening at one end into which foam can be sprayed by the barrel; the pipe is provided with supports by means of which it can be mounted on the upper platform of a fire engine in alignment with the barrel when this is in a horizontal position. The outlet end of the adaptor pipe is provided with means for spreading the jet of foam into a fan shape and within the adaptor pipe there are means for further expanding and emulsifying the foam produced by the barrel.

United States Patent [191 Alberti I Nov. 13, 1973 7 FIRE FIGHTING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Emilio Alberti, Castano Primo, Milan, Italy [73] Assignee: Bergomi S.p.A., Milan, Italy [22] Filed: Nov. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 306,485

AC BUS 1 DC :PRocEssi 14 AUTQI Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward, Jr. I Att0rneyRichard C. Sughrue et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT An adaptor for a fire engine of the type having an upper platform on which is mounted a foam spraying nozzle in the form of a barrel mounted for rotation to any angular position about one end. The adaptor comprises a hollow pipe having an inlet opening at one end into which foam can be sprayed by the barrel; the pipe is provided with supports by means of which it can be mounted on the upper platform of a fire engine in alignment with the barrel when this is in a horizontal position. The outlet end of the adaptor pipe is provided with means for spreading the jet of foam into a fan shape and within the adaptor pipe there are means for further expanding and emulsifying the foam produced by the barrel.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures F "l PROCESS 1 11 SIGNALS TO PROCESS I 1 l 1 l 1 I I 1 1 I I l l 1 l l 1 l l 1 1 1 1 E COUNTER I 1 1 1 l 1 l 1 l l r 1 FIRE FIGHTING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a system for forming a carpet of fire-fighting foam which is spread on the ground in places and on occasions where there is a high risk of fire. For example, such foams-are spread over the landing strip and taxiing areas of an airport in the event of an aircraft making an emergency landing such as without the undercarriage. This is done as'a preventive measure in an attempt to extinguish any sparks which might be caused at the moment of impact of thetages which are particularly apparent, and particularly serious, in the event of an emergency, under the conditions of which the fire engine ought to be able to oper-' ate at maximum efficiency. For example, the provision of a plurality of nozzles for spraying and sprinkling the foam behind and in front of the vehicle, requires various supporting structures which are relatively fragile and rather low on the vehicle, that is close to the ground. However, in an emergency it is necessary to move at high speed to the scene of the fire, or impending fire, by the shortest route possible and this involves travelling over rough ground rather than over the road in order to reach the desired positionto' spread the foam carpet, and the structures on .the lower part of the vehicle are liable to be damaged in transit across rough ground at high speed so that such vehicles are only able to travel relatively slowly since damage to these structures would render the device for spraying the foam carpet inoperative.

Moreover, the known arrangements for formation of a carpet of foam are usually mounted on a vehicle which is also provided with a nozzle or barrelfor projecting a concentrated jet of the foam, to be used directly against a localised outbreak of fire. This entails providing two separate systems for supplying the foam or the water, or both, to the jet projecting tube and t the devices for the formation of the carpet of foam, since the foam for producing the foam carpet requires to have a degree of expansion greater'than that of the foam sprayed from the tube.

This entails certain complications in use, and increases the total cost of the vehicle.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for the formation of a layer or carpet of foam on the ground, which is very simple from the constructional point of view, which is safe in operation, and which does not interfere with the, speed at which the vehicle on which it is mounted can travel over rough ground.

SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION According to the present invention an adaptor for a fire engine of the type having a rigid barrel for directing a jet of foam in any selected direction, by means of 2 which the fire engine can be adapted for forming a layer of foam on the ground, comprising an adaptor pipe having an inlet end, an outlet end and an axial passageway from one end to the other, 'and" means for.

mounting the pipe on the fire engine with its axis substantially horizontal, at the same level as the axis of the foam directing barrel, and aligned with the centre of rotation of the barrel such that when the barrel is pointed at the inlet of the adaptor pipe, foam can be passed therethrough to form the said layer of foam.

It will be appreciated that utilising the foam spraying equipment already provided on fire-fighting equipment, in the foam carpet forming apparatus, it is possible to avoid the duplication of pumping and foam formation apparatus, thereby simplifying the equipment and reducing cost.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention the outlet end of the adaptor pipe is provided with means for producing a fan shaped jet of foam from the foam passed through the adaptor' pipe.

Similarly, it is preferred that the adaptor pipe is provided with means for further emulsifying and expanding the foam passed therethrough.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a fire engine having an adaptor as'defined above.

Other characteristics and features of this invention A will'become apparent from a consideration .of the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying-drawings, which isprovided purely by way of non-restrictive example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a fire-fighting vehicle equipped with apparatus for forming a carpet of foam, constructed as one embodiment of this invention;

' FIG. 2 is an axial section on a larger scale taken on the line II- II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an axial section taken on the line III-Ill of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4'is a partialaxialsection of a second embodiment of the invention illustrating the part thereof corresponding tothe part of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3;and'

FIG. 5 is an axial section taken on the line VV of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS container for the foaming agent, and a container for the water to be mixed with the foaming agent when the foam is to be formed. I

The fire engine 1 is also equipped with known pumping means (not shown) which project the water and the foaming agent to a nozzle in the form of a barrel 3 which is rotatably mounted upon a support 4' near the front of the platform 2 of the vehicle 1.

The tube or barrel 3' which may be of a type known per se, can be adjusted angularly both in the horizontal plane andin a vertical plane. When the pump is operated the barrel 3 forms a relatively concentrated jet of foam which is usually directed towards localized outbreaks of fire.

mounted a device for forming a carpet of foam, including a hollow cylindrical pipe 5, which is supported in the horizontal positon by supports 6 and 7,'and which has an outlet 'end 8 facing the rear of the vehicle 2 and an inlet end 9 facing the support 4 on which the barrel 3 is rotatably mounted;

The pipe is arranged at a height such that its longitudinal axis 10 lies on the projection of the axis 3a of the barrel 3 when the barrel 3 is rotated to point horizontally towards the rear of the vehicle 2, as shown in FIG. 1. The interior of the pipe 5 is provided with a conical diffuser 11 the axis of which is aligned with the axis 10 of the pipe 5, and the apex of which faces the inlet end of the pipe 5.

The diffuser 11 is connected to the internal wall of the pipe 5 by a plurality of radial fins 12, which leave sufficient space between each other for the passage of the foam along the pipe 5. The pipe 5 is also provided with a transverse partition 13 having a plurality of holes therein which produce a first emulsion and homogenisation of the foam as it passes through the pipe 5. At the outlet end 8 of the pipe 5 there is a further apertured partition 14 of conical shape with the apex facing the inlet end 9.

Adjacent the conical apertured partition 14 there is a fan shaped sprinkler outlet 15.

In the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 the outlet end 8 of the pipe 5 is provided with a foam diffuser and sprinkler device 16 of the type known as a goose-beak.

OPERATION The apparatus described above operates as follows:

When it isrequired to form a carpet of foam, for example upon an aircraft landing strip, in the event of an emergency, the barrel 3 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 1 pointing horizontally and rearwardly so that its axis 34 coincides with the axis 10 of the pipe 5.

The pumping devices are then started and water mixed with the foaming agents is pumped through the barrel 3 which forms a foam which is injected into the inlet end of the pipe 5 and from there is sprayed over the runway whilst the vehicle ll advances slowly. Owing to the particular shape of the outlet nozzle 15 or 16 of the pipe 5, the foam is spread out over the ground, or over the runway, forming a carpet in the region of 15 metres wide.

The foam formed by the barrel 3 is relatively dense since it is usually sprayed directly at localised fire outbreaks in order to extinguish them, and for forming a carpet of foam the characteristics of the foam produced by the barrel 3 are modified in passing through the pipe 5 by the various elements therein. The diffuser cone 11 and the perforated partitions l3 and 14 contribute towards mixing air with the already formed foam produced by the tube 3, in order to render the foam more homogeneous and effectively to expand the foam in order to form a satisfactory carpet of foam on the ground.

Thus the foam-producing apparatus already provided on a fire-fighting vehicle, that is, the apparatus which supplies the foam projecting barrel 3 can also supply foam to the means for formation of a carpet of foam. This is achieved by modifying the foam produced for the projecting tube 3 once it has passed therethrough so that separate independent means for the supply of water and foaming agent to the foam carpet laying apparatus is not required.

Due to the positioning of the pipe 5 on the top of the vehicle 2, there are no downwards projecting parts which are liable to be damaged by the vehicle travelling fast over rough and bumpy ground so that the vehicle can travel as fast as it is capable without risk of damaging the fire fighting equipment.

The dimensions and the'materials of the embodi ments may be any selected according to requirements and widely varied, without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as hereinbefore described and claimed hereinafter.

What is claimed is:

1. An adaptor for a fire fighting vehicle of the type having an upper platform,

means for producing fire fighting foam,

an outlet nozzle,

pumping means for pumping said foam to said outlet nozzle, said outlet nozzle being in the form of a rigid barrel, means pivotally mounting said barrel at one end on said upper platform so that said barrel can pivotally move to any selected angular inclination,

said adaptor including:

an adaptor pipe, said adaptor pipe having means defining an inlet opening, means defining an outlet opening, and means defining a hollow channel connecting said inlet opening and said outlet opening, and

means for mounting said adaptor pipe on said upper platform of said fire fighting vehicle in a position such that said inlet opening of said pipe faces said barrel and said adaptor pipe is aligned with said pivotal mounting means of said barrel whereby said barrel can move to a position in which the jet of foam produced thereby passes into said inlet opening of said adaptor pipe, along said hollow channel therein, and out from said outlet opening to form a carpet of foam on the ground. 1

2. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein said outlet opening of said adaptor pipe has an outlet nozzle shaped so as to produce a fan shaped jet of foam when foam is passed through said pipe.

3. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein said hollow channel in said adaptor pipe is provided with means for further expanding and emulsifying said foam passed through said adaptor pipe-from said barrel.

4. The adaptor of claim 3 wherein said means for further expanding and emulsifying said foam passed through said adaptor pipe comprises perforated partitions extending transversely across said hollow channel in said pipe, whereby said foam has to pass through said perforations as it travels along said hollow channel in said pipe.

5. In combination:

a fire fighting vehicle having an upper platform,

means for'producing fire fighting foam,

an outlet nozzle,

pumping means for pumping said foam to said outlet nozzle, said outlet nozzle being in the form of a rigid barrel, means pivotally mounting said barrel at one end on said upper platform so that said barrel can pivotally move to any selected angular inclination, and

an adaptor, said adaptor including:

an adaptor pipe, said adaptor pipe having means defining an inlet opening, means defining an outlet opening, and means defining a hollow channel connecting said outlet opening and said inlet opening, means for mounting said adaptor pipe on said upper platform of said fire fighting vehicle in a position such that said inlet opening of said pipe faces said barrel and said adaptor pipe is aligned with said pivotal mounting means of said barrel whereby said barrel can move to a position in which the jet of foam produced thereby passes into said inlet opening of said adaptor pipe, along said hollow channel therein, and out from said the nominal diameter of the jet of foam sprayed from 10 said barrel at the point where said foam enters said adaptor pipe. 

1. An adaptor for a fire fighting vehicle of the type having an upper platform, means for producing fire fighting foam, an outlet nozzle, pumping means for pumping said foam to said outlet nozzle, said outlet nozzle being in the form of a rigid barrel, means pivotally mounting said barrel at one end on said upper platform so that said barrel can pivotally move to any selected angular inclination, said adaptor including: an adaptor pipe, said adaptor pipe having means defining an inlet opening, means defining an outlet opening, and means defining a hollow channel connecting said inlet opening and said outlet opening, and means for mounting said adaptor pipe on said upper platform of said fire fighting vehicle in a position such that said inlet opening of said pipe faces said barrel and said adaptor pipe is aligned with said pivotal mounting means of said barrel whereby said barrel can move to a position in which the jet of foam produced thereby passes into said inlet opening of said adaptor pipe, along said hollow channel therein, and out from said outlet opening to form a carpet of foam on the ground.
 2. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein said outlet opening of said adaptor pipe has an outlet nozzle shaped so as to produce a fan shaped jet of foam when foam is passed through said pipe.
 3. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein said hollow channel in said adaptor pipe is provided with means for further expanding and emulsifying said foam passed through said adaptor pipe from said barrel.
 4. The adaptor of claim 3 wherein said means for further expanding and emulsifying said foam passed through said adaptor pipe comprises perforated partitions extending transversely across said hollow channel in said pipe, whereby said foam has to pass through said perforations as it travels along said hollow channel in said pipe.
 5. In combination: a fire fighting vehicle having an upper platform, means for producing fire fighting foam, an outlet nozzle, pumping means for pumping said foam to said outlet nozzle, said outlet nozzle being in the form of a rigid barrel, means pivotally mounting said barrel at one end on said upper platform so that said barrel can pivotally move to any selected angular inclination, and an adaptor, said adaptor including: an adaptor pipe, said adaptor pipe having means defining an inlet opening, means defining an outlet opening, and means defining a hollow channel connecting said outlet opening and said inlet opening, means for mounting said adaptor pipe on said upper platform of said fire fighting vehicle in a position such that said inlet opening of said pipe faces said barrel and said adaptor pipe is aligned with said pivotal mounting means of said barrel whereby said barrel can move to a position in which the jet of foam produced thereby passes into said inlet opening of said adaptor pipe, along said hollow channel therein, and out from said outlet opening to form a carpet of foam on the ground, said adaptor pipe being located with its axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said fire fighting vehicle and behind said barrel.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the diameter of said inlet opening of said adaptor pipe is greater than the nominal diameter of the jet of foam sprayed from said barrel at the point where said foam enters said adaptor pipe. 